Foreword:

This game is the latest installment to Capcom’s tradition that spans almost twenty years. Prior to it’s introduction, a lot of fans had been dying to know how the game would turn out considering that the game was being designed to run on two of the most sophisticated consoles to date, the Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3. Will the game be featured in a 3D game engine? Will there be new features and characters that will drive the series even further? These were just some of the questions that were being asked among the many people awaiting its release.

 

Finally the game was released to the delight of many who just couldn’t wait to get their hands on the latest Street Fighter Series. Were they delighted or disappointed? Actually the answer to that would depend on their expectations. During its development phase, Capcom had gambled on staying true to the origins of the series by not deviating from the 2D Platform. They instead focused their attention in introducing new game mechanics that will improve the game experience and introducing new characters that were a lot of fans found to be a welcomed addition to their roosters.

 

If you had been playing the previous version of the Street fighter series, you would pick this game up very quickly. The same concept is in use, two fighters pitting their skills and powers against each other. Each fighter sporting unique abilities, in order to prove that he is better than the other. This game is ideal for gamers who had developed affection for the origins of the Street fighter series and whose expectations on the latest installment are built around expanding the key features of the game. To these people, Street Fighter IV had done exactly that. The game introduces new unique characters that add further to its immersive and colorful story line. New game mechanics were introduced, the most notable is called the focus system, which you can use to power up your character’s offensive and defensive capabilities. The videos in the game are based on anime art that will surely please anime fans everywhere. The game was considered a success in this regard and had generally secured high ratings in the video game industry.

 

However, it can’t be denied that there are also a considerable number of disappointed people. To them the game had come out as nostalgic. Expectations were high for the series, the biggest of which was that they would take advantage of their respective platform’s enormous graphics capabilities. They wanted something radical and unique while still clinging true to the concept of the game, that of two fighters proving themselves that they are the best. Despite Capcom’s best efforts of fine tuning the 2D game engine, the mere fact that it was still a 2D engine, was a major disappointment to them altogether.

 

Street Fighter IV had also set provisions for online play for gamers who are into the network. Our experience in online play was quite impressive, except for the occasional glitches in the middle of the game. Personally, I’d rather check the local competition though, because no matter how fast your connection is, your opponent’s game play may come out different from yours.

+Ves:

• Immersive and impressive storyline
• Fluid and fast paced game dynamics
• New game mechanics such as the Focus system
• A lot of new characters (Abel, Crimson Viper, Rufus, El Fuerte and more)
• Stable online performance

-Ves:

• A considerable number of players find it nostalgic ( You will find no significant innovation in the gaming scene here)

Final Word:

No one, not even Capcom can please everybody. There are times when you would need to compromise. Capcom has done considerably well standing by their decision in staying true to the 2D platform. The many elements they had introduced in the latest series had indeed pleased a lot of its fans. However, the fact that there are people who found it to be a disappointment should pose a challenge to Capcom to introduce something unique and undeniably remarkable to chase that nostalgic feeling that has been plaguing a considerable number of players.

Foreword:

In this latest game adaptation of the dark knight, you play Bruce Wayne, enforcing his brand of justice across Gotham City. The game begins with dark knight dragging the joker back to Arkham Asylum, which is where the most insane criminals in Gotham city are being kept in lockdown. It would appear that the clown broke out a couple of weeks ago but Batman is unable to recapture him soon enough. It would seem that Batman’s job for the night is almost done but certainly you know on your end that it is just the beginning.

 

Suddenly the dark knight is surrounded by hundreds of Joker’s henchmen, the confrontation ultimately ends with the Joker escaping through the help of Harley Quinn and seizing control of the Asylum by releasing all the prisoners. That is basically the backbone of the game’s plot. From there on, you are catapulted to a gloomy world that is structured around multiple buildings located in one giant rock. The joker is in charge of the asylum now and you’re going to deal with rooms filled with explosives and toxic gas, save the lives of a couple of doctors and swing over buildings to stop him.

 

Sounds like a plot for your average batman episodes. Indeed it is, with one clear exception. This game is rated in Adult category; so expect to see a lot of characters with colorful vocabularies such as “shit” and “bitch” and people killing each other wherever you go. The Asylum after all is depicted as a place that houses the sickest imaginable psychopaths.

 

The game’s combat system is quite easy to learn but it takes considerable skill to tally a high number of combos and make those hits connect. You can probably survive most confrontations by mashing those buttons. However, enemies carrying projectile and melee weapons require more quiet approach. You have the freedom to engage your enemy at your discretion. You can access tools and weapons stored in your utility belt. You can also stalk the bad guys and take them out from the shadow, which is probably batman’s greatest signature aspect. All in all a deep and immersive story line and a freestyle fluid combat system makes this the greatest batman experience to date.

+Ves:

• Gloomy and well depicted environment that truly suits the game
• Deep immersive storyline with a lot of engaging twists
• Fast paced combat system that emphasizes freedom and discretion
• A lot of riddles and puzzles that will unleash the detective in you.
• Top of the line voice talent and orchestration

-Ves:

• Poorly conceived cut scenes
• Unresponsive AI

Final Word:

To draw this review to a close, it needs to be said that Batman: Arkham Asylum is the best game adaptation of the Dark Knight to date. The game caters to the adult category that is well told and reinforced by very engaging elements. Voice talent is top notch and helps setup the mood that you are indeed within the dark knight’s grim and violent realm. If I must mention any gripes about it, I would say that the AI could have been a bit more attentive and that the cut scenes could have been made better. However, these are just minor aspects and are easily undermined by the game’s excellent presentation.

Foreword:

Assassin’s Creed is a stealth action game developed by the same people that brought you two highly acclaimed game titles Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia. Thus, upon its introduction, expectations were indeed high among the industry. In this game review, we intend to uncover the highlights and drawbacks of this game.

 

The game’s concept is pretty good. In the game, you play a character named Altair who is a member of the Hashshashin. The game was actually based on a real-life events and the Hashshashin was a group of assassins that executed a series of murders between the 11th and 13th century for political reasons. The game is rich in historical facts suggesting that it was indeed well researched, making for a very immersive storyline. The game environment is also worthy of praise. The third crusade of the game is set in the Middle East. The cities of Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre are all recreated remarkably. Staring at the graphic renditions, it’s hard not to be convinced that this is indeed what these cities looked like during those times. It takes quite awhile for the game to load but this is all worth, considering the huge scope of the environment. You can climb up the tallest structure in the game and jump right back on the city streets in mere seconds.

 

Did I mention the word climbing? Indeed, there is a lot of climbing involved in the game. You need to do this a lot of times in executing your assassination missions. Yes, the game is about assassinating people, Altair is an assassin after all and this is another area that the game prides itself in. On your missions, you are tasked to assassinate specific individuals. This would involve stealth and infiltrating certain key locations. You are not limited to this though as you can switch to a direct assault should you be discovered or if you find that escaping detection isn’t possible. It’s a great action game, featuring an intensive combat system. The best way to describe the game’s combat system would be a cross between the action system that made Prince of Persia so remarkable and Splinter Cells adrenaline paced stealth features.

 

Having mentioned the good things about this specific game, I found that there are a few elements in which Assassins Creed is a letdown. First is regarding the main character’s voice. Altair’s voice was certainly not pleasant for the main character of the game. The voice talents on the other character seemed more suitable for the star of the game. Sound quality and features aren’t so great as well. The game environment is indeed vast but it’s hard not to notice the same background audio such as the side talk of the many people you come across on the streets, it’s like being playing in some kind of loop. There is also a problem with the enemy’s AI that needs some serious fine tuning. It takes you out of the game when you get the impression that the enemy isn’t acting as it should.

+Ves:

• Highly immersive and historically based story line
• Stunning and vast game environment
• Very engaging stealth and combat system

-Ves:

• Considerably long loading time
• Main character’s voice is not as pleasant as we’d like it to be
• Enemy AI needs some improvement
• Sound is not as diverse as one would expect from a game that features a vast environment.

Final Word:

Despite it’s let downs, Assassin’s creed is a great game. Certain key elements are missing to make it the best. Its success lies in introducing something unique and different in the stealth action category. The gaming environment has created very high expectations for its upcoming sequel and gives its avid fans something to look forward to.

Foreword:

Blackberry Tour called as Blackberry BOLD for the CDMA network is a perfectly blended phone with style and features. Tour has better QWERTY keyboard and design than the similar looking Blackberry curve. It is a Hybrid phone that works on both CDMA and GSM networks and is capable of roaming all around the world, on any network. This feature gives it the name, Tour. The data speeds should be pretty good as it supports 3G on both CDMA (EVDO), and GSM (UMTS/HSPA).

Tour does not fail to impress on the first go. Though, slightly higher in weight compared to other Blackberry devices, it doesn’t take much of a time to get used to it. Its wider dimensions has made it possible for RIM to have a well placed QWERTY keyboard, and the tiled moulds on the keys makes it surprisingly easy to type. The rubber finish on the backside of the device is really smooth and satisfying to hold, but the silver lining on the device might wear out just like other devices. The phone has a 3.2 Mega Pixel camera along with flash for clicking photos and shooting videos. The quality of the photos thus taken is decent but not spectacular.

The phone does not have a Wi-Fi support, and another shocking thing is that you cannot install applications on your memory card. You will have to fit everything within your phone’s 256MB storage capacity, which is a poor decision by RIM. SMS/Email works wonders and setting up an email account in the phone doesn’t take more than 5 minutes. RIM has bundled the device with almost all IM clients like Yahoo, Gtalk, AIM.

+Ves:

• Good battery life – The battery life is pretty good when compared to the specifications of the phone. This of course means that you won’t have to carry your charger along most of the time.
• 3G and GPS support – Even though 3G is coming in as a standard option, such is not the case with GPS, and having a 3G and GPS together makes it a good deal.
• Availability of GSM and CDMA – The Blackberry Tour gives justice to its name, and supports both GSM and CDMA, allowing the user to use local SIM cards while on travel and international roaming.
• 3.5 mm audio jack – The 3.5 mm audio jack in the phone enables easy connectivity to most of the devices.
• Good camera – The 3.2 MP camera provides good image quality, and also shoots crisp and clear videos.
• Good quality integrated speaker – Performs well and gives crisp sound even at high volume.

-Ves:

• No Wi-Fi available – a bit old fashioned for a new technology phone. A Wi-Fi is must in the phones of today’s age.
• Applications can only be installed to the internal 256 MB memory – This provides very limited space for the applications.
• No VGA camera in front for video call – Availability of this would have made the phone a perfect business machine.
• No FM radio – An FM radio would have been a good value add to the phone.

Final Word:

The Blackberry tour does pretty much everything you ask for it, if kept the exception of not having a Wi-Fi aside. The slimmed casing and rock-solid email functionality are a great combination to business people and messaging-obsessed personal users, to which decent multimedia functionality is the icing on the cake. If a hardware keyboard is a must and Wi-Fi can be ignored, then Blackberry Tour may be your best device.

Foreword:

The Nokia N97 is Nokia’s answer to the Samsung Omnia HD and the iPhone. Thought the device can be called a good one, it hasn’t reached the level of the competitors. The N97 has a QWERTY slider that produces a snappy “thwack” when the screen slide upwards and this is a really satisfying thing; and gives the phone a powerful, sturdy and smooth feel. As a whole the phone looks pretty stylish, but is predominantly made of plastic components, rather than metal. This devours the device of its luxurious feel.

 

The N97 sports a 3.5 inch TFT display with 16 million colors and resolution of 360×640 pixels. There is a proximity sensor that is clearly visible on the left of the earpiece; and the video call camera and light sensor that controls the screen brightness are on the right. The Send and End keys on the bottom are touch sensitive and gives a slight vibration feedback when pressed. The 424 MHz processor on the N97 is a setback for the device, and it really slows down and even gets to the extent of hang ups while using a couple of applications together.

 

There are two cameras in the phone, a 5 megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, and a VGA camera for video conferencing. The photos taken by the camera are of good quality, and it also shoots 640×480 videos at 30 frames per second. Stereo speakers are placed at both ends of the left hand side of the device, with both micro USB slot (equipped with LED indicator) and slider button to lock/unlock the screen in between. The slider button and the camera shutter are very easy to use but the same is not the case with the volume rocker. The N97 has a 32 GB built in memory which will do well to almost all of the media related needs. It is expandable up to 48 GB using micro SD cards.

+Ves:

• 32 GB internal storage memory – The on board 32 GM memory ensures you don’t run out of space for your media related applications.
• Slide out 3-row full QWERTY keyboard – Provides better interface for messaging and mail related applications. How much ever a touch screen improves, a keyboard has its own effect and ease of use.
• 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash – The 5 MP camera provides crisp and high quality images, and the dual LED flash makes night photography easier and better.
• 3.5 mm audio jack – The 3.5 mm audio jack in the phone enables easy connectivity to most of the devices.
• Stereo FM radio with FM transmitter – The FM radio is a good add on and the FM transmitter really adds value and helps in easier playback while in car or transmission to a group.

-Ves:

• Slow processor – The 424 MHz processor makes the phone extremely slow when using multiple applications at a time, eventually leading to more number of hang ups.
• No DivX or XviD support – This will affect the users by a big margin as a lot of videos come in these formats.
• No smart dialing – No smart dialing options are there pulling it a step backward.
• No office document editing (without a paid upgrade) – This should have come in as a standard package with the phone to compete against the existing ones in the market.

Final Word:

Even though the N97 falls apart in a few of the features, mainly in its processor, the phone catches up in most of the other aspects. The availability of Wi-Fi, 3G, EDGE delivers high quality networking experience without any compromises. The speakers and 5 MP camera are of awesome quality making it an excellent media phone. Some people might face problems with the angle of the screen when the QWERTY keyboard is set out, and in the layout of the keyboard also, but that purely depends upon the person. So the phone is worth a buy if you don’t use many applications together, and focus on one process at a time. The N97 is definitely worth the money.